


Call of the Jedi

by stripedfly1001



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Force Awakens ending, Alternate Last Jedi, Alternate story line, Angst, F/M, I don't believe in Reylo but if you guys want then I'll include it, If you like Hermit Luke who does nothing then don't read this, Inspired by an interview I saw, alternate everything, first fic here, lots of twists in this, more tags to come
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-10-10
Updated: 2018-11-12
Packaged: 2019-07-28 22:30:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,969
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16251095
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/stripedfly1001/pseuds/stripedfly1001
Summary: In the snowy forest of Starkiller Base, Rey reached out with the Force to the saber of Anakin Skywalker, but it flew past her, landing in the gloved hand of another... Updates every Friday. Also posting on Fanfiction.Net and Wattpad (same update schedule, same username)





	1. Chapter One | snow and blade

Rey stretched out her hand, closing her eyes and concentrating wholly on her willpower.

 _Please_ , she begged the Force,  _please, give it to me_. She took a deep, shuddering breath in, focusing on her energy and what gave her power; her hate. Hatred to this monster for killing Han, his father ...

… and the closest thing she had to one. The saber began to twitch, moving its shadow across the dark snow, but it didn't quite move. Kylo Ren gnashed his teeth together, summoning all of his hate and anger and betrayal, channeling it into this tiny silver object.

The saber began to twitch again, this time moving more shakily. Suddenly, both people felt a block coming from the Force, and the lightsaber of Anakin Skywalker flew mere inches past Rey's head and into the gloved hand of another. Rey and Kylo knew instantly who the hand belonged to—Rey because she felt it, and Kylo because he had spent the past decade hating this man.

“Luke,” Rey managed to whisper.

Not five feet from the two stood a man in a worn brown cloak, his arms hanging loosely by his sides. In his right hand, which was covered in a black leather glove that had clearly seen better days, was clutched the lightsaber. Neither Rey nor Kylo could find the courage to move.

The man's hood covered his face, but Rey could just barely see a graying blond beard poking out of it that looked like it had been grown out of carelessness rather than want. The man's fist tightened around the saber, and in one swift movement he cast off his cloak and ignited the blade. The brilliant blue light was cast across the snow and trees, bathing the forest in an eerie sort of calm.

“No,” Kylo growled, and for a split second Rey was afraid he was going to jump on her until she saw that his eyes were narrowed in disgust at Luke. “That blade, it belongs to me. It was my grandfather's. Give it, it's mine!”

Luke's blue eyes drifted downwards, and for a brief moment his face was cast in disappointment. “You lost your right to it long ago.”

Kylo let out a harsh laugh. “So then I am beyond saving, uncle?” His question was more like a challenge, daring the man before him to break the calm and attack. Or surrender, either one would work.

“No.” Luke's voice had dropped about an octave, but still held that quiet power of his, like the calm before the storm. “No, Ben. You will never be beyond redemption.” Rey could swear she heard Luke's voice crack, but his posture remained just as rigid.

Kylo laughed again. “You didn't seem to think so, that night.”

Now Luke looked truly disappointed. “I'm sorry for trying—for what I did, Ben, but you gave me no choice.”

Ren growled again. “Yes. Of course. No choice.”

Rey licked her lips nervously. She had experience, and from her point of view, it looked as though Kylo was about to have a rampage; she'd seen enough fights on Jakku to know the signs.

“I'm sorry,” Luke repeated. Rey yearned to know what he was apologizing for, and why he was even apologizing to that freak in the first place.

Ren grinned sadistically. The planet began to shake beneath them, but none of the three payed any attention. “I would suggest you get out of my way, _uncle_ , or you'll end up like my fool of a father. _Dead_.”

Rey felt her heart freeze painfully in her chest. She brought a hand up to her face, realizing it was trembling. _How could he, how could he even_ …

Luke closed his eyes briefly. “You don't mean that, Ben. I--”

“Don't call me that!”

Luke swung the blade, shifting to a fighting stance. He turned to Rey. “Get your friend. Run.”

Rey's legs felt like jelly, and she could barely breath, but somehow she managed to walk over to where Finn lay and gently hoist him over her shoulder. Kylo sprang at her with all the enthusiasm of a starved lion, but Luke intercepted his blow. “Listen to me,” managed the Jedi. “Take him and run. Don't wait for me. If I can catch up, I will.”

Rey was about to argue— _I'm not going to leave you!_ \-- but before she could say anything, Kylo swung his saber through the air again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Updates every Friday (hopefully, no promises. I'll do my best ;)


	2. Chapter Two | call and vengeance (with a little bit of forgiveness)

Rey gasped for breath, barely able to feel her fingers and toes as she hauled Finn through the snow and towards the _Falcon._ The day's excitement almost felt like too much; meeting Finn, meeting Han, getting captured, escaping, Han dying, meeting Luke. Almost _too_ much, but she hadn't been able to survive Jakku without learning to adapt. Granted, though, it was difficult to adapt to something like what she had just gone through in the past _two days._

She heaved another breath in, by now simple fighting to stay conscious. If she was being honest to herself, the only reason she kept going was for Finn's safety. Oh, and the fact that if she lives, she'll get to meet Luke Skywalker. Funny how dreams could come and go so quickly.

Rey paused, chest heaving for air. Her entire body was numb and chilled to the bone, and the snow was gathering on her eyelashes, making it so that she could barely see. Rey tightened her grip on Finn's legs, determined not to drop him; though, to be honest, she probably wouldn't feel it if she dropped him, she was so cold.

All Rey could see was blinding white snow and dark, blurry trees dotting her vision here and there. The ground beneath her was shaking dangerously, on the verge of cracking. She gasped for air, forcing her legs to keep moving. _Almost there. Almost there. Almost there._

Something large was coming closer in the distance, but Rey hardly noticed it. The figure approached her, then leaned down, reaching for Finn. Rey tried to shout out, fighting back as best she could, but her efforts were in vain. The figure grasped Finn, then growled something.

“Chewie!” Rey managed, struggling to stay awake. “Thank the Force.”

Chewie said something Rey couldn't discern in reply, they heaved her over his shoulder next to Finn. Rey finally allowed herself to drift off.

Chewie ran swiftly through the trees, doing his best to avoid falling branches and cracks in the ground. He had smelled the Kid while going to get Rey—he knew that she must have been in trouble.

Chewie growled something to himself, spotting the Falcon mere yards in front of him. He sprang up the shiny silver ramp, (gently) dumped Rey and Finn onto the ground, and then headed over to the pilot's seat.

Chewie twitched his nose; yep, that had definitely been Luke he had smelled. Only one thing Chewie knew for sure right now—he was _not_ going to leave this planet without the Kid as long as he could. He knew that Luke would never forgive him if he risked someone else's life for him, though.

Chewie's paws flew over the controls, preparing the ship for takeoff. Rey moaned something from where she lay on the floor, and Finn subconsciously draped half an arm over her.

  
  


Luke's lightsaber was in a tight lock with Kylo's, both Force-users fighting for control. Kylo gnashed his teeth together, and in the hazy light, he looked just like a demon. Luke shoved back the pain in his heart, focusing only on defeating this monster. _He's Leia's son._

Kylo finally sprang back, swinging his saber forward. Luke parried and stepped to the side, managing a kick towards Kylo's midsection.

Kylo aimed his lightsaber low, ducking his head as he did so. Luke jumped above the attack, barely missing the blade, but his left shoulder got grazed. Not that he was about to admit it to himself, but spending so long without openly fighting had made him pretty rusty. _At least I didn't spend eight years on a island doing nothing_ , Luke thought to himself, barely suppressing a smirk.

Kylo growled again, waving his lightsaber crazily. Luke easily dodged him. “You're gotten weak, old man.”

This time, Luke really smirked. “Don't tempt me, Ben.”

“ _Don't call me that!_ ” Kylo was teetering on the point of going crazy, his eyes glowing in a way that Luke hadn't seen since ... since the day that Ben had destroyed the temple.

Luke felt the ground shift dangerously beneath him, barely managing not to fall over. Kylo, however, wasn't so lucky. His anger had distracted him, and now he was lying on his back on the ground, head bleeding slightly from hitting it against a tree.

Luke sheathed his lightsaber, knowing that he had very little time. He glanced down at his nephew's still black form. _I can't just leave him here._

Mentally banging himself on the head, Luke crouched down and heaved Kylo over his right shoulder. Barely able to walk as it was, the Jedi managed to take a few steps before nearly collapsing. Apparently, his shoulder wound was a little more that just a graze.

Cursing silently to himself, Luke took in a deep breath and began to move towards where he knew the _Falcon_ was. His shoulder stung heavily with the weight that was added to it, and Luke cursed again, this time a little louder. _Aunt Beru must be rolling in her grave._

Thinking of Aunt Beru put unexpected tears in his eyes. Shaking off his nostalgia, Luke squinted, struggling to see two feet in front of him. Hell, he was struggling to see at _all_.

Luke's legs nearly buckled beneath him, mostly due to Kylo's weight. He shifted the younger man as best he could, but the position was still uncomfortable. Breathing heavily, he at last came to what looked like a docking bay.

Upon entering, Luke saw that the place was very nearly deserted. The few personnel that were left were running like crazy, scrambling and fighting to get in a ship. No one payed any attention to the Jedi and the Knight of Ren he was carrying. The situation reminded Luke greatly of the Death Star, right before his father ... had …

Somehow, Luke managed to place Kylo on the floor in front of a ship. The boy was nearly conscious, and he could see a red-headed someone running up to him. He'd be fine. Luke glanced once at his nephew, then sprinted as fast as he cold back outside.

The planet was crumbling like crazy now. Luke ran quickly through the forest once more, shoulder stinging like hell. Grasping the Force, he used it to run faster, his mind near shutting down. At last, he stumbled into the clearing where the _Falcon_ was, half-frozen. Not wasting any time, he managed to climb up the ramp. “We can go now,” he called out into the ship, assuming that whoever was sitting in the pilot's seat was waiting for him to take off.

Wincing as how raw his voice sounded, Luke made his way to the cockpit, barely noticing the two young people lying on the ground. He dumped himself into the co-pilot's seat, murmuring a greeting a Chewbacca who growled in response, turning on the engines.

Luke's fingers flew over the controls, acting more from muscle-memory than paying attention. The _Falcon_ finally took off, getting off the planet just before it was blown to smithereens.

Muffled noises came from behind the cockpit, followed by a grunt. Rey stumbled into the cockpit, coughing slightly. “What happened?” she asked groggily. Chewie responded, and by Rey's response, Luke assumed that she could understand Shyriiwook.

By Luke's calculations, it took Rey approximately thirteen seconds to realize that she was in the same room as the Galaxy's Last Hope. She had to grasp the back of a seat to remain upright, “You're Luke Skywalker.”

Luke smiled in a way that he hoped wasn't awe-inspiring. Force knew he had enough groveling from fan girls who would _love_ to come over while he was in bed as it was.

“Yes,” he said. “Who are you?” He already knew, but wanted to hear her say it.

She didn't hesitate, holding herself slightly taller. Thought whether that was out of habit or trying to impress him Luke couldn't tell. “Rey.”

“Rey what?”

“Just … Rey.”

Luke nodded slowly. He had been half-expecting that, but still. Hearing that from his niece kind of hurt; it was a reminder of what he had lost.

Rey breathed in shakily, then averted her eyes to the view port. They were in hyperspace, but were probably going to exit within the next ten minutes. According to Chewie's calculations, at least. They had always been more exact than Han's estimates, though.

Luke's eyes stung again at the thought of Han. He pushed the feeling away, then returned his gaze to the window.

Rey cleared her throat slightly, too much in awe and confusion to speak. Luke could feel her feelings projecting through the Force; loss of Han, discovery of her new “family”, and now finding Luke were nearly overwhelming her (and giving Luke a headache. He would have to teach her to learn how to shield, and _soon_.)

The transmitter suddenly crackled to life, making Rey jump slightly. Luke would have laughed if he could. Chewie growled humorously, then reached out with one shaggy paw and flipped the switch. Leia's voice soon filled the room.

“Are you alright?”

Much to Luke's and Chewie's surprise, it was Rey who answered. “Yes. Yes, we're fine.” She opened her mouth, about to say something else, but Luke frantically signaled at her to be quiet. He had been hiding his Force-presence ever since he had been on the planet—that was how Snoke or Be-Kylo hadn't felt him. The Jedi wanted his sister to be surprised pleasantly, for once.

Silence reigned for a few seconds, then the comm crackled again. “Okay. Stay safe, Rey. And may the ... may the Force be with you.” Luke could Leia's heartbreak through her words.

Rey nodded, then realized the General wouldn't be able to see it. “With you, too.”

The transmitter shut off, and Finn came into the room, making Rey jump yet again. “Hey.”

“Hey,” returned Rey shyly.

Luke glanced at Finn curiously, then looked away, smiling slightly. He didn't know who the handsome, dark-skinned man was, but he was apt enough to realize that Rey knew him very, very well. In the ways that counted, at least.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know I said Friday updates, but I'm unable to post tomorrow, so ... here we are! Chapter is on the shorter side again, I know, but I was only able to write today and yesterday. Next chapter is already in the works, so it should (hopefully) be longer. Anyways, always remember, comments and/or kudos are love!
> 
> P.S. Let me know in the comments if you want this to be a Reylo fic, and/or if you want to see anything specific ;)


	3. Chapter Three | hello and I missed you

During the entire ride to the Resistance Base (Chewie was flying, it wasn't Luke's fault that they got lost, thank you very much!) Rey was nothing but a barrage of questions: W _here were you? Will Finn be alright? Will you train me to be a Jedi? Why did the saber call out to me? Why did you leave your sister?_

The most poignant of those questions was _why did you leave your sister?_ The ironic part was that Leia had _asked_ him to leave.

Luke had done his best to deter the young girl's attention, and prompting her to go check on Finn, who was lying in one of the bunks, proved to work well. Luke sighed and closed his eyes slightly. He could remember Rey when she had been nothing more than a small, helpless, abandoned child.

Well, not _entirely_ abandoned. A bedraggled woman had appeared at the Jedi Academy one night, carrying a sleeping little girl. The woman had said that her pregnancy had been a mistake, that she didn't want her child, couldn't be bothered by giving her up for adoption herself, and was wondering if the Jedi Master could possibly take her in. The woman's lineage, which she had eventually confessed, had also been … rather interesting, though be it far from Luke to judge someone by their ancestors. (Force know he had enough of that as it was, though, to be fair, the only people who knew were Leia, Han, Ben, and Snoke. Oh, and Chewie; that had been an accident.)

Luke, being Luke, hadn't refused to take the child in. Rey had been just a little over three at the time; old enough to remember things, but young enough to forget whatever someone wanted her to forget, conveniently enough.

She had, for whatever reason, dubbed Luke as “Uncle” and she as his “niece.” Leia thought it might be because she used to have an uncle that Luke reminded her of or something like that. Knowing Leia, it could mean anything.

Luke had raised her at the Academy, with no attention going to her than to any of the Padawans. (Alright, so he gave her a little more attention. He was a sucker for orphans, especially the kind who's parents dumped them. He had his reasons.)

When Rey was six, though, she'd been kidnapped, and … that was that. Until now. Apparently torturing people was one of the Force's favorite pastimes. Particularly those of the Skywalker lineage.

Chewie growled something, and Luke cracked open his eyes. He groaned, then responded.

“What _about_ Dooku?”

  
  


Rey licked her lips slowly, not swaying her gaze from Finn's sleeping form, not even for a second. Minus the minute-and-something she had spent looking around, that is, but that didn't count. Not in the least.

Finn muttered something in his sleep, and Rey fought the urge to to brush a hand across his very, very handsome face. _Oh my … did_ I _just think that?_

Rey shook her head slightly. Yes, Finn was her friend, but absolutely nothing more. As far as she knew. Mostly. Living in self-denial is hard.

Finn muttered something again, and this time Rey actually extended a hand to stroke his hair. The lightsaber had barely skimmed him back, and bleeding had been close to nothing, but Rey was so worried that her fingers were shaking like mad.

She pressed her lips slightly together. The shock of loosing Han had worn off greatly when they ran into Kylo, and was practically non-existant when she was trying to save Finn, but now it enveloped her like a dark, smothering blanket that she couldn't throw off.

She closed her eyes, reveling in the cool, soothing feeling that enfolded her. Everything seemed so hectic that it felt unreal, and she was half-convinced that all of this was just a dream, and soon she would wake up on Jakku, ready for another day of hard work.

The _reality_ of the whole adventure was a marvel to her, especially Han. It hurt, thinking of the smuggler, but she forced herself to let go of her grief. Anger was so much more soothing.

Rey couldn't quite grasp how she could miss someone so badly when she had only know them for a handful of hours. She supposed some things just couldn't be explained. Just like how the amount of green, growing things she'd seen must have been an illusion.

Finn turned over slightly, then cracked open his eyes. “Hey,” he said softly, nearly scaring Rey out of her skin.

“Hi,” she managed shyly.

Finn frowned, glancing up at the ceiling. “Where am I?”

“On the _Falcon_ ,” Rey replied, twisting her fingers together on her lap. “Chewie carried you—us—on.”

Finn's eyes immediately opened wider, and he shot upright, wincing slightly. “Are you alright?”

Rey nodded. “I'm fine. Don't worry.” As soon as the words came out of her mouth, she could tell that they'd been in vain.

Yet another thing that confused her: why did Finn care about her so much? And why did she care for _him_ so much? And how did she not miss this … feeling that was coursing through her?

“Lay back down.” Rey saw her arms gently grasp Finn and lower him back onto the bed, though she couldn't feel herself doing it. “Just … try to rest.”

Finn nodded as best he could. “Okay. Rey?”

Her heart skipped a beat. “Y-yeah?”

“Nothing.” Finn closed his eyes.

  
  


Chewie kept his gaze fixed to the controls. Now that Han was … gone, his allegiance was to the rebellion, just as the smuggler would have wanted it. And to Rey, of course. He growled at Luke, and the Jedi's eyes shot open.

“No, I wasn't asleep,” Luke sighed. “I was meditating. What is it?”

Chewie growled again.

“ _Besides_ Dooku.”

Another growl.

“We're almost at the base. Fine.”

Luke was the master at keeping a perfect Sabaac face, and right now was no exception. His insides, however, felt like they were melting. He wasn't sure which was more daunting; seeing Leia for the first time in eight years, or facing _so many people at once._ Living a relatively solitary life on Tatooine had trained him well, and large crowds of people daunted him. Not that Luke would let anyone know this, of course.

  
  


~ two hours later ~

  
  


Rey stepped slowly off the ship, watching as some medics wheeled Finn away on a stretcher. Their comments had been reassuring— _he'll be fine, no serious damage—_ but not having him in her sights was a little unnerving. Resistance fighters were bustling everywhere, bumping into each other in their mad rush to get from one place to another.

Spinning around, she realized that Luke hadn't followed her off of the ship. Frowning, she walked back up the ramp. “Master Skywalker?” she called out hesitantly.

Rey quickly scanned the cockpit, and upon further inspection found Luke sitting at the Sabaac table.

“We're here,” said Rey.

“I know,” replied Luke. “I'll be there in a moment.”

Shaking her head exasperatedly, Rey exited the ship again. Much to her surprise, a middle-aged, short woman was standing in front of the ship, who introduced herself as General Organa. “But you can call me Leia, darling,” she said.

“Alright,” Rey responded. _She must be the 'Leia' that Han told Maz Kanata about._

The two women, much to Rey's surprise, embraced tightly. When Leia finally let go, Rey could see tears in the older woman's eyes. “It'll be alright,” Leia murmured. Rey managed a nod.

Leia's eyes locked onto something behind Rey. She spun around to find Luke standing there. He took a few steps forward, stopping just in front of Leia. Rey moved to the side awkwardly, unsure if she should let the two have their space, but she _really_ wanted to eavesdrop on their conversation.

  
  


“You're bleeding.”

“Oh.”

Luke glanced down at his left shoulder, which was still bleeding slightly from where Kylo had grazed it. Luke briefly considered telling Leia what had happened on Starkiller, but then decided to save the story for another time. The last thing his sister needed after her husband's death was to be told that her son had almost died, he be a Sith or not.

“How did you get it?” Leia raised her deep brown eyes to look into her brother's crystal blue ones, demanding an answer only by her look.

“Ah—grazed it. On a tree … branch.” Rey narrowed her eyes, but didn't say anything. Luke prayed that Leia didn't hear the awkward pause in his words, but she seemed to accept his excuse. Which was odd, seeing as usually she was hard to lie to. _She must still he upset about Han._

Leia turned to Rey, concern suddenly flooding her gaze. “Are you alright, dear?” she asked sweetly. Luke fought the urge to smirk; that was a common tactic of his sister's—have someone cozy up to you, then get them to do the work you find boring.

Leia seemed pretty sincere this time, though.

“Luke.”

“Hmm?” Luke glanced up to see Leia's eyes boring into his again. “What?” he asked, and Rey smiled behind Leia. Luke shot her a warning glance.

“I _said_ , I think you should get your arm checked out.”

“Okay.”

“I meant today.”

“Ah.”

Rey smiled wider, and Luke fought one, too. He might have, if not for Han's death.

Leia sighed, rubbing a hand over her face. “We need to talk,” she said quietly. Luke privately agreed, though he never would have admitted it; accepting that he needed help would be like saying he was too weak, and that would be unacceptable. If _he_ failed, then _everything_ would fail. Except he had already failed. So maybe that didn't matter so much now.

  
  


“So.” Leia took another sip from the cup of tea clutched tightly in her hands, much tighter than any cup would like to be held. “Did you find it?”

Luke didn't answer right away, merely staring intently into his own cup that was balancing precariously on his right knee.

The two were in Leia's office, if it could be called that. An old desk that probably pre-dated the Battle of Yavin, a swivel chair that was gray but used to be white, and a collection of papers and data-pads arranged in no particular order made up the General's work space.

“Luke?” she prompted.

The Jedi sighed, then picked up his cup, still not drinking. “Not quite. I'm close, though,” he hastily added. “I found half of the map—Lor San Tekka had it. As for the other part …”

Leia closed her eyes. “You were gone for eight _years_ , Luke. Don't tell me you found nothing.”

“Hey.” Luke smiled slightly, making Leia smile, too. “If the first Jedi Temple were easy to find, then Snoke would have found it a long time ago.”

Leia narrowed her eyes, half-playfully, half-serious. “And how do you know he hasn't found it already?”

Luke finally took a sip from his cup after a serious stare-down with it. “Faith, dear sister. Faith.”

“And the girl?”

Luke put down his cup. “Yes. She's who you think she is.”

“Well.” Leia set her empty mug down on her desk, pushing some data-pads aside to do so. Luke could sense her inner 'duty first' mode coming on; his sister had always been the one to bury herself in loads of work and make sure that everything was planned.

Now, he understood why.

“Did you find anything else?” Leia gently prodded at her brother, getting rather desperate at his lack of answers.

“No,” Luke responded bitterly. “Nothing but a whole lot of failure.”

Leia sighed, but not out of tiredness. “Luke, that wasn't your fault. None of it.”

“I failed him, Leia.” Luke's voice cracked on the last word, and he pressed his lips together tightly. The 'him' that he was talking about could have meant either Han or Kylo, but at the moment it didn't matter.

Leia shifted her hand slightly, clenching and unclenching them. “I really don't—”

Whatever Leia was going to say was interrupted by Artoo's most impolite barging into the room, beeping such a series of noised that would make Threepio faint from disgust.

“Artoo!” exclaimed Luke, ignoring Leia's disgruntled state. He knelt down onto the floor, grasping the old astromech on the dome gently. “How've you been, old buddy?”

“BdWEeop.”

“I know, I know. I'm sorry.”

“DepOoBen.”

“Really? Since when?

“BeeOp.”

“Ah.”

What's he saying?” asked Leia impatiently. She had never been very keen on picking up binary; though, to be fair, she didn't grow up in the same lifestyle as Luke had.

“He has the other half of the map”

“ _Artoo_ , how could you?”

“DeWeE.”

“He says that he had to go into low-power mode in order to find it.”

“Unacceptable.”

“Hey.” Luke rose to match his sister's height. “I would have had to find the other half of it, anyway.”

“You're always defending that droid,” Leia muttered, though the gleam in her eyes brightened.

Artoo beeped something rather rudely, prompting a killer glare from both twins. “I suppose we'd better make sure she—everything—is okay,” said Luke.

Leia only nodded her head in agreement, but then stopped. “No.”

“No?”

“You're going to the medbay.”

“Oh,” Luke glanced down at his arm again.”It stopped bleeding.”

Leia nearly face palmed herself. “Luke Skywalker, you are insufferable. Just because it isn't bleeding doesn't mean that it can't get infected, or worse, or—“

“Alright, alright. But it's not a big deal—it doesn't even hurt.”

Leia reached out a hand and snagged her brother on his left shoulder. He hissed in pain, gritting his teeth. When Leia finally let go, he rubbed at the wound gingerly. “What was _that_ for?”

“Liar,” said Leia smugly. “It hurts.”

Luke did his best to glare at her, but it was hard. “Hmph,” he managed.

  
  


 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel like I'm pacing the story too fast, though I'm not sure. Let me know in the comments!


	4. Chapter 4

_There was a soft clanging noise from down the hall. Luke froze, fingers hovering over the control panel. He could just barely hear the muffled voices of Stormtroopers, their footsteps coming closer. He snatched the chip from the database, thankful that he had at least gotten most of the information he needed. Not quite enough, but then again, he's worked with slightly less than he needed all his life._

_Slipping the chip into a deep pocket in his robe, he reached up with the Force and jumped up to the vent on the ceiling. Trying not to breath (at least not deeply) he crawled his way out, jumping into an escape pod at the last second, seeing how his ship was … detained._

_Luke glanced at the control panel on the screen, hastily inserting coordinates._

_Next stop: Jakku_

  
  


“You loved her, didn't you?”

Luke glanced up at Rey from his cup of coffee, surprised. He smiled slightly, twirling the cup in his hands. “Yes,” he said, nodding slightly. “Yes, I did—I still do.”

“Han was her husband, wasn't he?”

“Yes,” Luke affirmed, his curiosity spiking. Why would she be asking that?

“So … was there any …”

“Ah.” Luke fought back a smile for Rey's sake, the irony of her question becoming clear to him. “It's nothing like that—she's my sister.”

“ _Oh_.” Rey blushed, bringing her own cup up to her lips in an attempt to hide her mortification. “I see. Okay. Sorry.”

Luke couldn't hold back his smile this time. “That's fine.”

Rey blushed even deeper. She looked as though she were about to ask something, but then stopped, standing up from the table as she hastily excused herself. “I need to go check on something,” she said.

Luke nodded. “Alright,” he said, resisting the urge to ask her exactly what she needed to check on. “Don't get lost again,” he called after her as an after-thought.

“I won't!” she replied, but she was already a good distance away, and Luke could hardly hear her reply.

  
  


Rey walked as fast as she could down the crowded hallways, grateful to feel the blush creep off of her face. She made a beeline for the medical bay, anxious to see Finn.

It had only been two days since they had arrived at the Resistance base, but Rey already felt as though she was home. Minus the empty, echoing absence of Han's presence, that was.

She still couldn't understand why Kylo would kill his own father. If _she_ had a father, she would be ecstasy about it. How could he just throw something like that away? _Some things are just beyond reason._

“Hey, watch out!”

“Sorry!” Rey was startled out of her thoughts by the dark-haired man in a bright orange pilot suit, bending down to snatch up the papers that had scattered everywhere. “I'm sorry, I—let me.” Hastily she scooped up the papers. “Here you—Oh!”

Rey found herself staring into a handsome pair of chocolate-brown eyes, widening with surprise. “Thanks,” said the man awkwardly, reaching out to take the bundle from her hands. Rey, still in shock, kept a firm grip on the papers without realizing it. The man grinned awkwardly, and Rey blushed even more furiously.

“Sorry,” she managed, pushing the papers at him. “I … I'm Rey.”

The man nodded slowly, narrowing his eyes slightly. _Great,_ Rey thought to herself. _Just great._

“I'm Poe,” said the man, shifting the bundle to his other arm so he could offer her his hand. She reached out and shook it gingerly, up to her head in mortification.

“I—I need to go check on someone,” she stuttered, releasing Poe's hand and offering him a slight smile.

“Are you going to the medbay? Because I am, too.”

“Yeah.” Rey smiled more authentically, feeling a warmth creep up her body. _He must be the Poe Dameron that Finn mentioned to BB-8 on Jakku._

“I'm going to see Finn,” she said, then immediately scolded herself for doing so. What did Poe care about who she was going to see?

“Me too!” Poe grinned at her, his white teeth flashing in her vision. “Come on, let's walk there together.”

Rey glanced at him shyly, then nodded her head. Any anger she was feeling towards Kylo Ren was lost in this man's gaze. “Okay. Sure.”

  
  


The walk to the med bay was mostly composed of awkward silence, interrupted once in a while by Poe's unfruitful efforts to start small talk.

“So,” he began, choosing his words carefully. “How do you know Finn?”

Rey bit her lip, wondering how to reply. “We met on Jakku, where I … used to live. We left together, ran into … someone, I got captured, and … now I'm here. And so is he,” she added hastily.

Poe smirked in a nice way. “He rescued me from the First Order. I would've escaped, anyway, but he helped.”

Rey bit her lip to avoid laughing out loud. “I'm sure you would have.”

Poe grinned lopsidedly, scratching the back of his head with his free hand. “Maybe. You're the one who was with him on Starkiller before it blew, right?”

Rey nodded. “Yeah. I was.”

Rey was saved from talking about Starkiller any further because the two had reached the medbay. Poe asked the nurse on duty about Finn, who answered with, “He's just down the hall, second right.”

“Thank you,” said Rey, though she wasn't truly thankful.

The nurse smiled patronizingly. “Of course, dear,” she said, not sounding like she meant it, either.

Poe dumped his papers on the desk in front of the nurse, who glared at him without breaking her unnaturally wide smile.

 _It's funny_ , though Rey mused as she walked down the sterilized corridor. _I don't remember her._

Soon the two arrived in Finn's room, and Rey forgot all about nurses being where they shouldn't be. Just outside the door, Rey could barely hear Finn talking.

“...I _told_ you, I'm _fine_. Now let me out of here so I can … Poe! Rey!”

Poe slipped into the room first, followed by Rey. The former strode up to the bed in less than a second, sweeping past the droid that Finn had been arguing with and clapping his friend on the shoulder. “You're looking good.”

Finn managed a grin that made Rey's heart skip a beat. “Thanks. You too. Both of you,” he added hastily. Finn glanced up at Rey, worry suddenly clouding his features. “How are you?”

Rey smiled and gently took his hand. Poe's eyebrows raised but he didn't say anything. “I'm fine. Don't worry.”

Finn only nodded, closing his eyes and leaning back, resting his head against the headboard. “What's happened while I was out?”

“Well, “ Rey began, “it's only been two days since … what happened on Starkiller. Master Skywalker is still here, and … that's about it.”

Finn swallowed and opened his mouth, but before he could say anything the Two-One-Bee droid bumped past Rey's shoulder to stand by Finn's bedside again. “You need rest,” it said in it's monotonous droid voice.

Finn clenched his teeth together, and Poe could've sworn that he heard him growl. “No, I—”

“Finn.” Rey gazed at him steadily with those perfectly clear eyes of hers. “You need to rest.”

For the briefest second, Finn looked as though he wanted to argue, but then he thinks better of it. “Fine.” He adjusted himself so he was lying down on the bed, but he didn't close his eyes yet.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Short chapter, I know. Really late update, I know. Guys, I'm really really sorry. I tried, I promise, but there were some things going on in my life (I'm not going to say them here, they're too personal) but please know that I tried. The chapter is incomplete, which means that I'll probably be posting the other half of it on Friday. Also, updates might be coming every other week from now on, I don't know. Anyways, thanks for reading. Remember, kudos and/or comments=love!


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